Linear accelerometers are used for measuring horizontal acceleration of mobile objects in any plane (horizontal component of absolute acceleration vector in this plane). These accelerometers can be positioned directly on the mobile object body or on a platform positioned on it and stabilized in a horizontal plane. Each accelerometer possesses an inertial mass which is represented by a solid body or a liquid.
Liquid accelerometer is of higher sensitivity.
The main considerable drawback of any known accelerometer appears to be a harmful (crossing) influence of vertical acceleration (vector vertical component of absolute acceleration) with inclined position of the accelerometer. This harmful influence is rather high even with insignificant accelerometer tilting (i.e. tilting of the base where it is positioned). E.g. in inertial navigational systems with tilting for only 1 angular minute, the error in location determination is equal to 18.5 km per each hour of movement, which is often unacceptable.
The closest analogue (prototype) of the solution proposed is represented by a device for measuring horizontal acceleration of mobile object developed earlier by the authors of the proposed invention. This device also consists of two interconnected sealed hollow vessels filled with flowing working medium (liquid, gas or the mixture thereof), and two pressure pickups connected with them and having their outputs switched into differential scheme. That's why horizontal acceleration, in the prototype as well, is determined also according to difference in pressure signals. In this device, contrary to those mentioned above, the harmful influence mentioned is eliminated, but only with positive vertical acceleration. It is attained by measuring pressures in points where the heights of working media vertical columns over them remain equal when changing within permissible tilting, and application of non-congruent contours in vessel cross-sections provides for measuring only the horizontal acceleration (but only with positive vertical acceleration).
It is to be taken into consideration that, from the point of view of setting up the problem, the known solutions produce absolutely unsuitable signals with the mobile object (flying vehicle) turned upside-down.
As, with free fall, vertical acceleration is equal to zero (weightlessness phenomenon), cases of negative vertical acceleration occur with movement downward (to the Earth), with acceleration higher than the acceleration of the free fall during vibrations, hitting air pockets, etc.
The aim of the solution proposed consists in increasing accuracy and widening the field of application for the device measuring horizontal acceleration, in particular not only with positive, but negative vertical accelerations, thus making this device a universal one.